The Book of Common Prayer: A Biography by Alan Jacobs (review)

of the Romantics and father of modern fantasy, spoke into the Victorian society of which he was a part. Mackenzie Sarna Baylor University Alan Jacobs. The Book of Common Prayer: A Biography. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2013; 256 pp.: ISBN 9780691154817. $24.95 (hbk). Alan Jacobs has succeeded in composing a lucid and imminently readable biography of a most beloved religious text. The complex history of The Book of Common Prayer (BCP) lends itself to division and disagreement, but Jacobs has provided a thoughtful and balanced perspective that is sure to leave readers satis- fied, while directing their tastes to read again or for the first time the Prayer Book as a priceless treasure of Anglican prose. Beginning with its well-known author, Thomas Cranmer, just prior to his compilation of the BCP, Jacobs is careful to start well within a reasonable pre-publication date for the Prayer Book. He underscores the origins of the book’s original documents and its seemingly piecemeal collection of historical antecedents. From Cranmer’s choice to compose a litany, a choice that would be agreeable to King Henry, to the rise of the Prayer Book as an ‘‘instrument of social and political control,’’ readers come to understand the complexities that surrounded the BCP throughout its long and prestigious history. Jacobs carefully argues that once the book became an instrument for national unity, changes to the book became more difficult, especially after the institution of a mandatory communion service in the vernacular English instead of in priestly Latin. When the average layperson could begin reciting the beautiful prose of the BCP, editing future editions would bring often contentious debate. Changes in wording desired by both Evangelical and Catholic constituencies in the government were often at odds. While Cranmer avoided the most heated of these, he did place a stake in the ground on his views of the Holy Eucharist—he was against the papal idea of transubstantiation. From Jacobs’s clever insertion of historical anecdote, such as the origin of the phrase ‘‘hocus pocus’’ being a corruption of Hoc est corpus meum, ‘‘This is my body,’’ to his discussion of Cranmer’s insistence of the use of the prayer book for national unity, The Book of Common Prayer: A Biography reads quickly and pleasurably. One of the most beneficial aspects of Jacob’s text is his astute rhetorical analysis of the structure of the BCP and its litany. Explaining the trifold (possibly trinitarian ) division of the BCP’s use of time as a principle for movement through the liturgy, Jacobs offers readers a glimpse at the larger organization of this book for worship and practice. Such practice would not be complete without a discussion of the disagreement between the Protestants and Catholics on the language of the BCP. Jacobs walks readers judiciously through revisions of the Prayer Book, which Book Reviews 345 include minor changes in language, insertions of rubrics such as the infamous Black Rubric, and fights in Parliament to institute those changes. Once into chapter 3, readers encounter the important discussion of the BCP’s use of high prose, which lent to its venerability and lasting stability. While the Prayer Book went through the same turbulent times as English monarchs, its banishment was only temporary during the Interregnum that led eventually to Charles II’s restoration. Jacobs ensures a thorough discussion of the revisions in the 1662 version and subsequent minor changes. Following the debate for revision, like a well-trained detective, the author ensures the trail of his narrative is easy to follow. In spite of the popularity of the BCP, it never provided the nation with a single unified presence, Jacobs notes, but was nonetheless highly influential socially and culturally, especially in its reach to the upper (and often ruling) classes. The BCP’s undeniable influence was often attributable to the acknowledged beauty of the BCP’s language, which could stir the soul or calm the mind. After deftly narrating the history of the BCP, Alan Jacobs completes the cycle by explaining the book’s American and global reach, including its many subsequent and important iterations. Discussing the Lambeth Conference and the Tractarians’ commitment...